Darkening Horizons
Darkening Horizons Forward: Three will become four to challenge the darkness that lasts forever That was the prophecy. That was not the end, but the beginning. Dark Forest would rear its head again, because like it or not, darkness really does last forever ... Note PS. Terribly sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. Please coment! I'd love to hear your thoughts! >':'< I would rate this story Moderate, for action violence. As all my stories, if you like romance .. eh, there's some. If you like action, you've come to the right place! ;) I write adventure stories, if there is any suggestive material, it is an extremely small amount and only when needed. Also, there are no same gender ships. I'm not a hater in any way, I just don't prefer that. Characters can be close friends and not be romantically connected, no matter their gender. (Sorry, I just think I should be clear on the subject. Thanks for understanding) :) Theme Song: 'Alone Together' by Fall Out Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuNTFGnVm4k The dark is rising;how can any light survive? This story is the first book of The Rising Storm Series Prologue A silver she-cat sat beside the crystal waters of a sparkling pool, her blue eyes glittering like the water itself as she watched her quiet reflection. The grass she was sitting in glimmered with starlight, in fact, the very air seemed to. "Silverstream?" She looked gracefully up, a smile curling across her muzzle. "Firestar. There you are at last." The tom sat down nearby, and there was a swish of wind, and a spotted cat ran up, stopping and wrapping his overly-long tail about his paws. A bright fire colored tom joined them a little more slowly, sitting down and looking about. The fur on his spine bristled, and he snarled, "What? We get all the way here, and .. where is the scruffy furred SkyClan .. idiot?" The spotted tom raised an eyebrow. "Your temper never fails to amaze, seeing as he must travel the farthest of us." "Then he should start sooner." Silverstream rolled her eyes. "Oh, enough Flametail. I'm sure Skywatcher's on his way." The was a flash of starlight, and a dark gray tom stepped from it, settling himself beside the pool. "I'm sorry I'm late." "It is fine Skywatcher, we understand." Firestar gave Flametail a long look. "Don't we?" The tom muttered under his breath, as Silverstream stood. "So, shall we begin? Let Tallstar go first, since he's been so silent." The black and white cat dipped his head, placing his paw on the water. "I choose two that have never been chosen, the one called weak, and the other despised from kit-hood. Does any protest this?" "Are you quite certain we can trust the one, Tallstar?" Skywatcher raised an eyebrow. "I understand any concern, but his heart is not as all his relations." The cat stirred the surface of the pool, dissolving the images he'd created. Flametail stepped forward, splashing his paw in the water. "I choose the strongest elites, two of noble heritage and best skills. They will be a light for ShadowClan in these dark times." He looked around, before dissolving the reflection of his chosen and sitting back down." Skywatcher laid his muzzle on the pool, murmuring, "In blood and tears two will be born, two that will help, not through war but through intelligence. They will keep the flame of SkyClan alight throughout the ages." Silverstream was next, and she blew softly on the water, her starry breath creating the picture of two kits. "Through the line of Bluestar, these two will come to carry the burdens of a trying time. They will stand strong for the name of RiverClan." Firestar slowly stepped forward, sweeping his starry tail across the lake. "Kittypets and Loners have been known to change the face of history before. I give them a chance to do so again, these two will uphold the justice of ThunderClan." No one said a word for a moment, before Tallstar asked, "Which will unite them, and lead them?" "That, Tallstar," Firestar smiled. "We truly have no say in. The one who dares to make the impossible possible." "Then it is decided?" Skywatcher asked. The five looked at each other, before nodding. "It is decided." Silverstream put her paw forward, and one by one, the others placed their paws atop hers. "Through the darkness, we will not shrink from war. We will fight this age-long fight, we may fear, but we will not surrender. For the Clans!" All four toms echoed her, their voices floating into a starry sky. "For the Clans!" ><>< The echoes of the StarClan warrior's voices reached the ears of another, though as different from them as the night was from day. He sat still, cold wind ruffling his ears. No emotion showed in his stance, but his golden eyes glittered. "They dare to think that twelve little kits can stop me? They always were fools, weren't they?" His voice was calm, but condescending and dripping with malice. The black tom wheeled around, loping easily farther into the dark woods in which he made his abode. He closed his eyes for a moment, before slowing, and flicking his tail back and forth. There was a flash, but it was a flash of darkness, not light. Two cats appeared, a tabby tom with jutting fangs, and a ginger colored she-cat with a long scar across her face. "Longfang, Gingerfur. What of our defenses and offenses?" The she-cat smiled. "As always, Lord Breezepelt." He matched her expression perfectly. "Good. I should hate to hear otherwise. Where is Snowtuft? I'd like a word with him." Longfang sneered. "That old fool? Why would you want him, won't you be happy when he fades away forever?" "Of course." Breezepelt sneered. "But I have a fools errand, and I need a fool. Some time or other though, when he's worn out his usefulness, I'll help him fade." He flicked his tail. "Now go." The two cats looked at each other, before obeying. Breezepelt sat down, closing his eyes and murmuring something unintelligible. A matted old white tom appeared in another flash of darkness, in the very act of scratching a flea. "Well Snowtuft, glad you could drop in." Breezepelt stood up again. "I have a little errand for you." Snowtuft licked a little drool from his muzzle, snarling, "More errands?" "Yes .." Breezepelt suddenly leapt forward, slamming the half invisible cat to the ground. "It's all you're good for, after all. And you wouldn't want to loose your usefulness, would you?" The white tom stiffened, swallowing hard, though his eyes were resentful. Breezepelt sneered, glittering fangs gleaming inches from the other cat's face as he whispered, "You remember that Snowtuft. I use your skills, but never dream that I need you. Now find StarClan's chosen, they cannot be allowed to reach adulthood." Chapter 1 The Day Life Began "Dad, watch this!" The little silver she-cat stood atop the two-leg fence surrounding her nest's garden. She flashed her fluffy gray father a dare-devil grin, launching herself at a nearby tree, kicking off it with a rather awkward summersault, and landing in an ungainly heap. The gray tom shook his head. "Watch what, exactly?" His daughter untangled herself with a sigh. He shook his head. "Flossie, you've got to stop that, you'll hurt yourself." "Dad." The she-cat picked herself up, licking a scratch on her shoulder. "If I don't practice, how will I kick Chester's tail between his legs?" "Oh, you and that tom kitten." The gray tom shook his head. "Chester's two-legs won't be happy if you scratch him up, and ours will feel the same if you get hurt." Flossie scowled. "Don't care. He's a stupid fur-ball." "They'll take you to the vet." her father pointed out, and Flossie stopped washing for a minute, a horrified look on her face. "Well .." She sighed. "Guess I got to practice more, so he's the one that goes to the vet!" She grinned rather sadistically, and her father sighed, stretching. "Very well, you do that. I need a nap, meanwhile." "Naps .." Flossie grumbled, pouncing up on the fence as her father disappeared through the cat flap. The breeze ruffled the flop of long headfur that always fell into her eyes, and she breathed in all it's interesting scents. The nearby thunderpath, the other cats of the neighborhood, the stupid squirrel that always threw acorns at her, mocking her because she was afraid to climb very high. "Hey Frizzy! Looking for your dumb clan cats again?" The she-cat's spine fur bristled, and she spun around, hissing at the gold tom sitting on the other side of the fence, across the garden. "They aren't stupid, you are!" "Oh yea? They don't exist, just silly stories." "My mother was a clan warrior, and some day I'll be one too! Then I'll shred you, hairball!" Chester laughed mockingly. "You're just a dumb kit. You'll never be a warrior, though maybe you'd make a good loner. They die behind dumpsters, that might fit you." Flossie's tail lashed angrily, and she dropped from the fence, running for the other side of the garden with an enraged caterwaul. Her large, fluffy white paws pounded through the grass, and she streaked across the yard amazingly fast for a cat of her thick stature. Just as she was leaping for her rival, her paws caught on each other, and she crashed, muzzle first into the hard wooden fence. Flossie collapsed with a groan of pain as Chester roared with laughter, almost falling off the fence. "See what I mean? You're just clumsy hothead! You'll never be anything but an ugly misfit, Frizzy pelt!" The silver she-cat's eyes blazed, but her head throbbed, and she slowly picked herself up. "This isn't over." "That's good." The yellow tom guffawed. "It's fun to watch you try and kill yourself." Flossie spat out a hateful hissing snarl, before staggering toward her two-leg nest. Maybe taking a nap would be alright after all. She pinned her ears against Chester's laughter, struggling through the cat flap and flopping down in her fuzzy cat bed. The silver she-cat laid her throbbing nose on her paws, a tear running down one cheek, and not just due to the pain. "Mother .. why did you leave me here? I wanted to come with you to the clans, cause they've got to be real, you said they were!" Flossie glanced dully at her father, sleeping soundly in a patch of sunlight. She curled up, closing her eyes as she muttered, "The hairball's right. I'll never belong here." She turned over in her bed, trying to relax and sleep, but she was too high-strung still. The she-cat grumbled, before stretching her paws forward with a sigh, though she didn't open her eyes. A few minutes passed, and at last, Flossie gave up. Maybe she should get a drink or eat some of the gross pellets the two-legs fed her. She half opened her eyes, intending to do as she'd planned, but the next second, she'd bolted upright and was staring about her in dumbfounded awe. This wasn't the back porch of her twoleg nest, this wasn't even her garden, it was a beautiful, star-filled, glimmering landscape, unlike anything in her wildest dreams. "My daughter." The silver she-cat looked up, staring at the black, star-covered apperition standing before her, green eyes gleaming with more life than Flossie ever remembered. She stepped hesitantly forward, before rubbing against the older she-cat. "Mother .. you came back! Please take me to the clans now, I'm old enough, I am!" "You are." The black cat smiled. "You are so much bigger than the tiny kit I had to leave with your father. Is he well?" Flossie purred. "Well why don't you ask him .." She looked behind herself, but her father was nowhere in sight. She looked confused, and the black cat licked the top of her head. "I can't speak in the dreams of kittypets, my little quick one, my little Quickkit. I can appear to you, for you have a warrior's heart, something Oliver does not, or at least, does not relieze he does." Flossie pricked her ears forward in confusion, but she felt warmth flood around her as her mother spoke her real name, the name that had faded to the corners of her memory. "Dreams? Appear?" "Yes my darling." The black she-cat looked down. "I'm afraid it's the only time you'll see me again, I have joined StarClan. I have died." "What?" Flossie's mouth dropped open. "What? How can you be dead? How? You left me and dad .. and now you die? But .. we missed you." There was a hiss from the shawdows of some undergrowth, and a matted gray she-cat trotted out, meowing sharply, "Hollyleaf, get to the point! We don't have all day, she'll wake up soon!" The black cat turned on the gray one, snarling, "She's my daughter Yellowfang, let me speak to her!" Hollyleaf sighed. "But she is right. You must go to the clans, to fight a darkness that has risen before. The darkness that killed me. So be strong." A cold wind sprang up, and there was a strange tugging on her very soul. Flossie looked at her paws, shocked that they were turning transparent. "What's happening?" "You're waking up." Hollyleaf's vioce was urgent. "You must go to the edge of the twoleg place, and except the help we have given you. Beyond that, don't be afraid to believe, and beware the one sworn to destroy you! Prove yourself in these things first ... " Her vioce was fading to nothing, and it cut off as Flossie's eyes opened to see the familiar walls of her own twoleg nest again. She rolled over, wiggling her nose, making a face as it still stung. She slowly sat up, noticing the shadows had changed some. Oliver still lay in his cat bed, sleeping soundly, but then he could sleep for hours in the late afternoon. Careful not to wake him, Flossie crept over, staring down at him, memorizing his features. "Dad .. I love you. Please don't think I don't .. I'll always love you. But you belong here .. and I've tried dad, but I don't like the two-legs much .. I don't like being picked up like they want, I never have. I don't like the food, I don't like the vet, and I really, really don't like Chester. I just don't think .." She sat down, licking her shoulder for a moment. "I just don't think I'm made to live here. I need .. oh .. something I can't name. It's like .. like a purpose. And I'd wake you up to tell you all this, but I don't think you'd let me go if I did." The silver she-cat sighed. "I know you an the twolegs call me Flossie .. but I think I'd rather be what mother wanted. I'd rather be Quickkit." She slowly stood up, before licking one of his fluffy ears. Oliver rolled over, mumbled, and flicked the ear, but did not awake. His daughter slipped away, careful to hold her neck stiffly lest the little bell on her blue, rindstone-covered collar jingle. She slipped out of the back porch's cat flap, and somehow, she knew it was the last time she would ever do it. Each white paw she set forward seemed to be different than ever before .. because once she jumped over that fence and into the world beyond, she wasn't coming back. The young silver cat let out a breath, letting her paws go from walk to run. I can do this. I've practiced running and stalking things .. and maybe mother knew I was ready. I am ready. I am .. I'm not going to be kittypet Flossie anymore, I'm going to be Quickkit .. the cat I was born to be! "Hey Frizzy, going somewhere?" She stopped instantly, looking back at Chester, who had the audacity to sit washing himself on her garden's table. Only it wasn't hers anymore. And suddenly, all the anger she'd spent on the tom kitten seemed pretty worthless. "Yea." She jumped on the fence, tossing her head with a merry jingle as the afternoon breeze caught her longish fur. "I'm going to find the clans! I really am, and I'll never have to worry about you again .. so go eat your disgusting catfood, I'm going to be wild! I'm Quickkit!" She dropped to the ground, trotting across the neighboring yard, as Chester jumped on the fence. "Hey, what? You're going to kill yourself!" "My business, loser." She grinned. Chester didn't say anything for a moment, before sneering, "Fine. Quickkit huh? Yea you're a kit .. guess you'll die somewhere!" Quickkit looked back once more, laughing rather nastily. "Yea, and I guess you'll die a kittypet!" She bounded over the fence, landing in the next yard, feeling pretty cocky. There was a sudden yapping from inside the twoleg nest, and she didn't wait for the dog to come after her, just sped through the garden, bounding into the next. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Chester laughing, and Quickkit flattened her ears. What did he know? She was going to do this .. she was going to the clans! ><>< ((To Be Rewritten)) Chapter 6 An Unexpected Discovery Quickkit wandered through mist searching for something, but not finding it. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for. "Yellowfang? Mother? Are you there?" Gnarled, twisted trees rose high above her head, the ground was boggy under paw, and the place stank. Surely this wasn't Starclan's hunting grounds? It wasn't at all like the pretty sparkling pool where she had met Hollyleaf and Yellowfang. Suddenly Quickkit heard voices of cats ahead, and was about to run towards them, when a whisper sounded in her ear. "Don't make any loud noises. Your life is at stake." Quickkit slowly turned to face the speaker. He was a flame colored tom with white forepaws and blue eyes. His fur sparkled with stars. Quickkit whispered, "Are you a Starclan cat?" He nodded. "I am. My name is Flametail. But now is not the time for talk. Quickly! Follow me!" As he spun about, he had the great misfortune of treading on a twig, which broke with a painfully loud snap. "Whose there?" An evil sounding voice growled. Flametail yelped, "Oh, they've heard us! Run! If we make it to the Starclan border, we'll be ok! Follow me!" Both cats ran side by side, terror giving them wings. Quickkit could hear the paws of their pursuers getting closer and closer. Just when she thought these cats would catch them, she and Flametail leapt over a ditch of muddy water, and landed panting on the other side. Flametail gasped, "Here Quickkit crawl under this bush! Now!" Quickkit crouched, terrified, as Flamtail began sniffing about. Just in time to, because their pursuers skidded to a halt at the far side of the ditch. They were three large, menacing cats. The first was a black tom with a deep rip across his left shoulder, the second, a black tabby tom with jutting teeth, and the third a ginger she-cat with a scar across her face. The she-cat caught sight of Flametail and sneered. "Oh Him. All that dope does is to mix herbs." All three cats turned and walked back the way they had come, disinterested. Flametail continued his search till he was sure they had gone, then purred, "Well there're no herbs here. You may come out now, Quickkit." The silver cat came out of her hiding place, meowing, "Why did we hide from them? Aren't they Starclan cats?" "Starclan cats? Them? No, No! They're the leaders of Dark Forest!" Flametail growled. Quickkit wrinkled her nose." Dark Forest?" "Aye, Dark Forrest." Yellowfang meowed as she slipped from the undergrowth. "It's where you go if Starclan won't have you. If your deeds are so evil, We can't except you. The cats there are utterly evil, and now they want revenge. Revenge on Starclan for not excepting them, revenge on the clans for things that happened in their lifetime. That is why we hid you. They wanted you, but we denied them that right." Quickkit gasped. "They wanted me?" "Oh yes," Flametail exclaimed. " You're very important, to them, and to us too." "You are destined to fight this battle, and we'll be by your side." Yellowfangs voice faded as she whispered, "Air, Water, Shadow, Sky, and Clouds shall come, Two from each and every one. Five will unite, Till all is set right, Together the evil they must fight. This is the riddle that you must solve, Kin of the kin of the fire's kin. If you do not, both lake and gorge shall run read with the blood of the dead." Chapter 7 Socks Quickkit jolted awake under the bush, the dire prophecy ringing in her ears. "What does it mean? And how am I kin of a fire? And what about water and shadows and clouds? And blood of the dead? It doesn't make sense!!" She stuck her head out of the bush and found she was staring into the deep blue eyes of a gray tortoiseshell she-cat. The young cat flicked her ears back and meowed, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know this was your bush. I'll leave." Quickkit shook her head. "There's no need for that. I'm just passing through." The little tortoiseshell mewed, "Is that your trash can, or can I dig in it?" Quickkit looked at the metal twoleg can and smelled the crowfood stench wafting out. She wrinkled her nose. "Ugg. No it's not mine. I wouldn't want it at all. Why do you want it?" "Well there's food there silly. When you're an alley cat, you can't choose much." snapped the young cat. Quickkit was skeptical. "When was the last time you ate?" She asked, noticing how thin this cat was. "The day before yesterday." The tortoiseshell mewed dully. Quickkit was shocked. She ducked under the bush and reappeared a few seconds later, the rabbit in her jaws. She dropped it at the tortoiseshell's feet. "Here, eat this." The cat stared at Quickkit, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You mean that??" "Yes." The tortishell needed no further convincing. She tore into the rabbit ravenously, eating like it was the last meal she'd ever eat. Quickkit waited until the cat was finished, then asked, "What's your name?" The cat blinked, surprised. "It's been a long while since any cat asked me my name, but a long time ago, when I was only a tiny kit, my twoleg called me Socks." "Oh you had housefolk?" Quickkit asked. "Then why are you wandering around like this?" Socks sighed. "Well when I was really young, I lived with a nice old twoleg and her other cat, a tom called Jeremy. Jeremy had it going with this she-cat called Pretty, who lived across a small thunderpath. He'd visit her every night, and one day he told me she was having his kits. Well he was over there more and more, but one time he crossed the thunderpath, and a really fast monster hit him. It killed him. My twoleg was upset, but Pretty was devastated. I felt bad for her, loosing her mate like that, so I'd visit her. The night her kits were born, I stayed with her, and the next day, when I tried to go back to my twoleg, she was gone. She'd been getting frail, but I didn't expect her to just vanish. I never saw her again. I lived with Pretty for a while, but then her twolegs left taking her and the kits with them. They never came back. So I've been living where I could ever since. What about you? Why are you out here? Oh and what's your name?" Quickkit looked down. "I'm Quickkit. Till two days ago I lived with a couple of twolegs and my father, Oliver. But then I left, and now I can't find my way back." Socks cocked an ear to the side. "You LEFT? Why would you do that?" "I had to. I had a dream, where my mother came to me and told me to find the clan cats. That's where she was born after all." replied Quickkit To Quickkit's surprise, Socks didn't look scornful, just interested. "What are these clan cats like?" She asked. Quickkit sighed. "I don't know much about them, just that they live in the wild, and are brave, noble cats that look after each other. They hunt in groups and share prey so no one goes hungry. They have adventures and dreams, protect kits and elders, and have a noble code that guides them." Socks meowed, amazed. "That sounds wonderful. I'd have a real purpose there." She looked shyly to Quickkit. "Could I . . . maybe . . . come with you?" Quickkit was startled. "Well I . . ." Suddenly Hollyleafs words came ringing back, almost as if she was still speaking them. "You must go to the edge of the twoleg place, where you will find some one to help you . . ." Was it Socks? Well the least Quickkit could do was test her idea. "Ok you can come." Socks' sapphire eyes lit up. "Great! I can get us to the edge of twoleg place. After that, you'll have to guide us." Quickkit purred. "I'll try. and while we're at it, let me teach you to hunt." All the rest of that day, the two she-cats practiced, and Quickkit had to admit, Socks wasn't half bad. As they settled under a bush that night, she began to realize how lucky she was. Chapter 8 A Close Call It had been nearly a moon since Quickkit had met Socks. They had become inseparable friends, and the truth was, they made a great team. Quickkit still felt awful about the way she had left her father, and all the worry she had caused him, but she knew she couldn't go back. However, as time progressed, she began to enjoy herself immensely. Socks was a great friend, and her hunting skills improved every day. Now as the sun rose, Quickkit poked the gray tortishell. "Wake up sleepy head, time to greet another day. We're getting close! I can feel it!" They ate the rest of last night's fresh kill and headed off. The stark walls of the twoleg place had long since been left behind, and now, the two friends traveled through pleasant woodland. It was near sun-high when Quickkit smelled something. After thinking long and hard, she realized it was a scent mark. Further investigation proved there was a line of them, and Quickkit could tell they smelled vaguely like Hollyleaf. The silver cat bounced with excitement. "I think this is it! The clan cat border!" Socks grinned. "Then we did it?" Quickkit leapt in to the air. "Yes! Yes we did! Come on, let's find somebody!" The two cats ran side by side. Because they were excited and happy, they didn't notice the stench on the air before it was to late. Socks stopped suddenly. "Quickkit, I smell something nasty." Quickkit sniffed the air. "You're right, and . . . Hey I know that stench! It's fox! Back up slowly, really slowly, before it smells us!" Socks turned around and muttered, "Well, actually, I think it's a little late for that." Quickkit whirled about and gasped. Standing in front of them was a huge, menacing dog-fox. Socks arched her back and hissed at the fox. Quickkit gasped, "No! Don't do that! Don't threaten him!" The fox snarled and swiped a massive paw at Socks. The little gray tortishell flew through the air, slammed against a tree, and crumpled to the ground. Quickkit slashed her claws deep into the foxes nose, hissing. The creature sat back on his hunches with a whimper, blood flowing from his muzzle. Quickkit used the distraction to seize Socks' scruff in her teeth and run. Quickkit flew through the woods, wild terror driving her on. It seemed like she had been running forever, when she broke into a clearing with two cats, one gray, one yellow tabby. They had been sharing a vole, but leapt to their feet as Quickkit dashed across the clearing, dragging Socks. They were surprised, but didn't have time to be, because the next second the fox leapt out of some bushes, in hot pursuit. However they didn't hesitate to leap into the fray. Quickkit could hear the foxes yelps of pain in the distance, but she kept running. She never could say how it happened, but all of a sudden the ground simply stopped. Then there was a flash of pain and everything went black. Chapter 9 Welcome to Thunderclan It was the pain that brought Quickkit back to reality. Her whole body hurt, from head to tail tip. As she slowly regained consciousness she realized two low voices were talking. "Oh Jayfeather, will they be all right?" "I think so Briarlight. There's nothing broken, but they'll be sore for a while." Quickkit opened her eyes to see a black tabby tom and a gray tabby she-cat standing over her. "Where am I? Where's Socks?" She groaned, surprised at how raspy her voice was. The black tabby laid some wet moss beside her. "Here, drink this. Your friend is fine, and you are in Thunderclans camp. Just a word of advice. You're supposed to come through the bramble tunnel, not over the edge of the quarry. I'm Jayfeather by the way." The she-cat purred "I'm Brairlight. What's your name?" "I'm Quickkit." replied Quickkit warily. "That's a clan name." Brairlight meowed. "Where did you get it?" "My mother gave it to me." Quickkit replied. Suddenly, Jayfeather looked very interested. "Do you know her name?" Quickkit nodded. "Hollyleaf." Jayfeather purred "I thought so. You look very much like my sister." "Quickkit! Hey Quickkit! Wake up!" Socks prodded her friend. Quickkit looked up. "Ok! Ok! What is it?" "Jayfeather says Bramblestar wants to talk to us!" It had been a week or so since the accident, and both cats were much better. Jayfeather padded into his den and purred, "Feeling better? good. because you two need to speak to Bramblestar. Oh and Quickkit, I'm sorry about removing your collar." Quickkit shrugged "I don't care." the collar was uncomfortable anyway. Jayfeather stared hard at her with blind blue eyes that seemed to see, then nodded. "Follow me." As they followed the medicine cat into the quarry, Socks and Quickkit saw a muscular tabby tom with amber eyes. Socks whispered, "I bet that's him." Bramblestar turned his attention to them. "You're right Socks." The tortoiseshell blushed. " Err... Sorry." The toms eyes grew serious. "Since you are nearly well, I must ask you, what are your plans?" Quickkit mewed. "Well, we left home to find the clans, and well..." Socks gulped. "What we mean is, may we join Thunderclan?" Having spoken, the shy she-cats expression showed she wished she had not. Bramblestar blinked, his eyes unreadable. "You know there is more to being a clan cat then hunting and fighting. You must follow the warrior code. Not just when it's easy to do so, even when it's hard. You have to put your clan first. Before yourself, before other clans, before cats of other clans. This you must always remember, If you will uphold these things, I will let you join us." There was no hesitation in Quickkits ice blue eyes. "I understand what these things mean, and I will uphold them with my life." Socks nodded. "So will I" Bramblestars gaze hardened. "There is much responsibility in those words. Be careful what you promise." Socks stood her ground. "I know. But I also know this is the life I was meant to live." Quickkit blinked. "There is a restless spirit in both of us. We were meant to be wild, and we could not be kittypets again." Bramblestar purred. "I like you two. You've got pluck, both of you. Welcome to Thunderclan." Chapter 10 Apprentices! "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled. Cats began slinking out of dens, down from rocks, and shady bushes, some grumbling, some wide eyed with curiosity. Bramblestar waited for the clan to assemble before he began. "As you all know, recently we had two unexpected visitors drop in, and I do mean''' drop in'. However they have asked me for the privilege of training as Thunderclan apprentices, and I have decided to let them." A few surprised mews rang out, but no real arguments. Bramblestar turned his attention to Quickkit. "Quickkit! From this time on until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Quickpaw." He fixed his amber gaze on a downy grey she-cat standing beside a gray tabby tom. "Dovewing! You have not yet had an apprentice, and it is high time that was changed. You shall mentor Quickpaw. I trust you to pass on your loyalty, agility, and wisdom to her. Dovewing was startled, but she padded forward and touched noses with Quickpaw. "Come stand by me." she muttered. Seeing the uncertainty in her apprentices eyes, she muttered, "Don't worry, you aren't the only one whose been different." Quickpaw smiled a little, then turned her gaze to Socks. Bramblestar meowed, "Socks! From now on until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Birdpaw. I name you for your slender build and gracefulness." He looked into the crowd. "Brightheart! You asked if you could mentor another apprentice. At that time I had none. Now I do. You shall mentor Birdpaw. I trust you to pass on your courage, nobility, and skills to her." A ginger and white spotted she-cat stepped forward, blinking with surprise. As she touched noses with Birdpaw, the tortoiseshell noticed that where Brightheart's left eye should have been, there was a blank expanse of scarred fur. Brightheart chuckled dryly. "Oh I've seen that look before." Birdpaw shook her head. "No, I don't mind." Brightheart winked her good eye. "It's called, Don't tussle with dogs. But never fear, I'll teach you a lot." Bramblestar looked to his clan. "Do any of you wish to argue my decision?" A dusty brown tabby tom stepped forward. "They are kittypets!" "Of this I am already aware Dustpelt." Bramblestar meowed. A long legged black tom growled, "The other clans will think we're weak if we take on more kittypets!" Bramblestar blinked. "They thought we were weak under the rule of Firestar, Spiderleg, but none of them would dare say that now. If these two apprentices prove there worth and loyalty, I see no reason why they can't be Thunderclan warriors. Do any of you?" It was Jayfeather who broke the silence. "Quickpaw, Birdpaw!" He yowled. Dovewing, Briarlight, and Brightheart joined in, and one by one, so did the clan. After the cheering had died down, Bramblestar nodded to Dovewing and Brightheart. "I'll leave you to decided what to do first." He leapt from the Highrock and padded off. Chapter 11 The First Day That day, Quickpaw learned a lot about the Thunderclan lake shore, how to gather moss, and catching voles. By the time the sun was setting, she and Dovewing had caught two plump voles and a sizable amount of moss. After putting the voles on the fresh kill pile, and giving Jayfeather the moss, Dovewing asked, "Would you like to meet some of your clan mates?" Quickpaw nodded eagerly. Dovewing beckoned her over to a silver-white she-cat who was sharing a squirrel with a young yellow and white spotted she-cat. "Quickpaw, this is my sister Ivypool and her apprentice, Amberpaw." Quickpaw nodded politely. "Pleased to meet you." Ivypools eyes sparkled. "Hi Quickpaw, I'm so glad you're my sister's apprentice! Hope she didn't keep you to busy." "Not at all. It was fun!" Quickpaw exclaimed. Amberpaw purred, "Wish I could say the same for my first day with Ivypool. She made me pick ticks off Purdy!" Quickpaw made a face. "Ukk poor you!" "Oh your day will come. But not tomorrow! All the apprentices are doing battle training." Amberpaw's eyes were bright with excitement. Quickpaw mewed, "I'm not super great at that kind of thing, but I do know a few moves." Amberpaw looked interested. "Maybe you could teach them to me." Quickpaw shrugged. "Oh you probably know them already." Amberpaw shook her head. "I doubt it. You're older then me right?" "I'm nine moons." Quickpaw admitted. "Yep. I'm six moons. I just became a 'paw' a week ago. It'll be my first battle training." She paused. "Oh look! Here come my brothers. Hi Snowpaw! Hi Dewpaw!" Amberpaw purred as two toms, one white, and one whitish gray came padding up. "Meet Quickpaw. She's new." The whitish gray tom grinned. "Hi Quickpaw! I'm Dewpaw. This is Snowpaw." Snowpaw stuck his nose in the air. "Humph! I don't talk to kittypets." "Aww give her a break Snowpaw, it's not her fault!" A young black tom with green eyes, a white chest and for paws exclaimed as he joined the conversation. "Nor do I talk to loners' Raven'!" Snowpaw stalked off, his tail in the air. Amberpaw looked embarrassed. "Don't mind my mouse brained brother Quickpaw. I'm awfully sorry he called you that Ravenpaw. It was mean and uncalled for." Ravenpaw shrugged. Quickpaw looked up as Birdpaw padded through the bramble tunnel with Brightheart. "It's Ok." She told Amberpaw. "Hey Birdpaw! Come over hear and meet some of our clan mates!" Brightheart nodded to her apprentice, and Birdpaw came running. Quickpaw purred, "Birdpaw this is Amberpaw, Dewpaw, and Ravenpaw. You just missed meeting our other den mate, Snowpaw. He was '''very' charming." Amberpaw giggled. "Oh if you think he's bad, just wait till you meet Lilypaw and Seedpaw. Their only seven moons, but you'd think some body died an made 'em leaders!" Dewpaw and Ravenpaw snorted in agreement. Ravenpaw looked behind himself and groaned. "Oh no! Here comes Lily'star' now." Lilypaw padded up, tail high. "Oh this must be the kittypet sisters. So pleased to meet you." She stalked off without another word. Quickpaw and Birdpaw stared at each other in disbelief. "Sisters!?" Chapter 12 One small spark . . . Dewpaw tilted his head. "You are aren't you?" Quickpaws eyes widened. "No . . I mean, I don't think so." Birdpaw agreed. " We aren't sisters, just friends." "Well you look like litter mates." A cat meowed. It was Brairlight. Quickpaw shook her head. "Honestly, we aren't sisters, we just met in the twoleg place and traveled together." Briarlights eyes sparkled. "Ok. I'm just glad your accident didn't hurt you that much. I'd hate for another cat to end up like me." She glanced at her useless hind legs. Ravenpaw looked curious. "What ever did happen to you? Your legs don't really look hurt." "My spine was broken by the tree that fell in the hollow." She sighed, then smiled. "Thankfully Jayfeather fixed me up." Birdpaw gasped. "Your spine was broken? Did Jayfeather splint it?" Briarlight shook her head. "No, he didn't." Birdpaw stared hard at Briarlights back. "Then why doesn't it look all funny and twisted?" Brairlight shrugged. "It never did." "Does it feel weird?" Birdpaw asked. "You know, the outside of it." Brairlight purred. "Go on and feel it if you like." Birdpaw pressed a for paw against the she-cats spine. "Where is it you stop feeling my paws?" Brairlight closed her eyes and waited, then meowed, "There, right there." Birdpaw felt the whole area carefully. "It feels normal." She reported. "It can't be broken." Amberpaw mewed, "How can you tell?" "Once I knew a cat called Jeremy. He got hit by a twoleg monster. The thing broke his back. I tried to help him, and felt along his spine. When I got to the break, it felt all bumpy and weird. Definitely not like this." Birdpaw explained. For a moment, hope shone in Briarlights eyes. Then she shook herself. "Well what ever the case, I've lost all use of my hind legs. But don't worry, I get along just fine." She paused as Mousewhisker entered the camp. "And yet . . ." She sighed, muttering to herself, "No that was never meant to happen." After Brairlight drug herself off, the apprentices conversation turned to other subjects, but Quickpaw couldn't forget the look the crippled she-cat had given Mousewhisker. Chapter 13 Breezpelt's oath Breezepelt sat atop his lichen coated rock which served as a throne. His tail lashed with fury. "Fang you worthless, lily-livered . . . COWARDE!" Fang -a reddish dog fox- bared his teeth. "I can't help it if I ran into Lionblaze!" Breezepelt snarled condescendingly. "You'd think after all that cat did to you, you'd be out for revenge. Maybe you're to scared to avenge the wrongs done." Breezepelt seemed to have pulled a switch. Fang bristled and flattened his ears. "You feline scum! How dare you insult me in that manner? The clans slew my mother, drove me and my litter mates from our den, and have kept me from my rightful territory ever since!" Breezepelt curled his lip. "And you couldn't even kill two untrained apprentices? Some avenger you are!" This piece of insult was to much for the fox. He leapt on to Breezpelt's rock, knocking the black cat off and towering over him. "I'm not your servant cat. I'm simply working with you for the time. Believe me I'd love to break your rotten neck. But that wouldn't avail me much now would it?" Fang slid off the rock with a finale snarl for good measure. Breezepelt scrambled back on to his perch, his dignity and composure greatly ruffled. The leader of Dark Forest flattened his ears and his fur, trying to regain some of his lost stature. "Well if you want anything as a reward Fang, deal with that young Quickpaw. I want her dead do you hear me? I want her DEAD!" This is the end of book 1 Darkening Horizons. The next book, Rolling Thunder is being posted. Category:Sayna's Fan Fictions Category:Fan Fictions